Turkey with a Hint of Thai

This Thai-influenced recipe was invented because – you've guessed it – I had quite a lot of cold turkey to use up. But because we enjoyed it so much, I would recommend making it with some ready-cooked chicken if there's no leftover turkey to hand.

Method

Begin by dry-roasting the cumin, fennel, coriander seeds and cardamom to draw out their full flavours. To do this, place them in a small frying pan or saucepan set over a medium heat and stir and toss them around for 1-2 minutes, or until they begin to look toasted and start to 'jump' in the pan. Now transfer them to a pestle and mortar and crush to a powder.

Next, add the oil to a large frying pan and, when it's very hot, turn the heat down to medium and fry the onion and celery for 4-5 minutes or until well browned at the edges. Then add the garlic, chillies and ginger and cook for a further minute before adding the crushed spices, fenugreek, turmeric and the flour. Stir well, then add the turkey (or chicken) and stir again to coat all the pieces with the mixture.

Next, add the stock gradually, stirring yet again, then, as soon as it all comes to simmering point, turn the heat down and let it cook very gently for 25 minutes with the lid on. After that, stir in the crème fraîche and serve the curry with basmati or Thai rice, with the coriander leaves sprinkled over as a garnish.